British drivers to be given £15 boost on their car insurance

Drivers across the UK may enjoy £15 off their annual car insurance premiums this year due to a new digital online system that is set to be unveiled in June containing driving licence data.

The MyLicence scheme will enable motorists to monitor their driving history online, and will also benefit car insurers by granting them easier access to precise information about prospective drivers who require a premium.

The new digital initiative is the most recent of the governmentís online policies that are intended to significantly decrease the size and cost of the UKís civil service, with the current administration believing this can be achieved whilst simultaneously bettering customer services as well.

Cabinet minister Francis Maude identified that under the modified system, motorists simply will need t o give insurers their assigned licence number, and then they will be able to make the necessary checks in an easier and quicker manner.

The result of this Mr Maude argued is that drivers will be given far more precise quotations for their premiums, as insurers will be satisfied that they know everything about the motorist they are providing for.

The Association of British Insurers has optimistically forecasted that for all legitimate motorists, possessing an online driving licences presence would save them almost £15 each year on their premiums, whilst also speeding up the process for acquiring one in the first place.

In recent times, insurance firms have vented their frustration at the difficulty in finding out both major and minor information about prospective premium holders, and have heralded the change as a step in the right direction in the insurance industry.

Currently, many insurers have been forced to ask customers to hand them in a photocopy of their paper licences in order to acquire the necessary data on them for premium acceptance. Many have cited that this procedure as being highly laborious and as such often leads to incomprehensive checks.

David Williams, director of underwriting at Axa, said: ìItís not just about points. Itís also about confirming who these applicants are, live where they say they live, and their age.î

Prominent car insurer agreed with Mr Williams, adding: ìMeasures such as this that reduce the cost of fraud for the benefit of honest customers can only be a good thing.î

The current paper driving license is set to be removed from the system by some point next year, with paper car tax discs also being dispatched.

A spokesperson from the Driver and Vehicle Licence Agency highlighted: “Although some services cannot be delivered digitally, such as assessing a customer’s fitness to drive, we can improve the processes supporting the delivery of these services through making greater use of digital tools”.

When first implemented, the modified system will complete their checks on applicants by inserting their address and National Insurance number into the system. However, it is hoped that the process will follow the same path as other recent digital transformations instigated by the government and use bank data to identify personal information.

“This is something that is a problem for countries that do not have an ID card system and a national ID database,” said Mr Maude.